Though Wayne Ferreira lasted only four months guiding Jack Draper, it’s crystal clear the South African coach had a very positive influence on the 22 year old.
Ferreira started with Draper after French Open where the Brit lost first round to Jesper De Jong in five sets. The results came quickly – Draper won his first ATP title in Queens (beat Berrettini in the final) and then beat world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at Queens Club.
At Wimbledon, Draper lost inthe second round in three tightly contested close sets to compatriot rival Cam Norrie.
Draper dropped Ferreira before US Open where he reached the semifinal, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner 57 67 26.
Last week Draper won his second title in Vienna, by beating Karen Khachanov. He is now at a career best ranking of 15, from 39 when he started working with Ferreira.
The ATP site says Draper’s coach is James Trotman. Though Draper’s language about the spit seems to belittle the obvious contributions made by Ferreira, the question remains: Would Draper have achieved his big results if Ferreira didn’t enter the picture to supplement the work of Trotman?
“Wayne coming on board was obviously a good decision based on his value as a coach and he was experienced as a player but I’ve always been a player who likes to keep things simple,” said Draper during a media conference at the US Open.
“I’ve never had that team dynamic before where I’ve got two different voices and two different coaches and I always wanted Trots to be the one leading what I was doing. I just felt like it was not as simple as I liked and I wanted one voice in my team and I feel like it was probably the right thing to part ways with Wayne and keep it how I want it as a player. That being said my time with Wayne has been amazing, I’ve learned a lot. I sort of got a lot of value from him. I think he’s an amazing guy and one who will continue to be a friend.”
The implication is that Trotman and Ferreira may have had a clash of egos and the success with Ferreira diminished Trotman’s value as a coach.
There can be no doubt Wayne Ferreira is the major reason Draper’s career received a significant spark and the results during the four month collaboration – and beyond – reflect that.
ATP · Jack Draper · Wayne Ferreira
Scoop Malinowski · October 30, 2024 at 4:10 pm
This scenario emphasizes the important of how a coach should prioritize first and foremost the success of the player he works for and not his own ego and reputation, and who gets the most credit for the success of the player.
Doug Day · November 1, 2024 at 5:16 pm
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Scoop Malinowski · November 2, 2024 at 7:36 am
Please share the best ones here Doug. I just got a note from a friend how Babe Ruth’s hitting and pitching stats are nearly identical with Shotani’s which is twilight zonish.